The South American country of Venezuela has made it mandatory for U.S. visitors to apply for visas before coming here. This decision was taken amidst an intensification of diplomatic tensions that occurred between President Nicolas Maduro and Washington. The socialist government of Venezuela gave orders to the U.S. Embassy located in Caracas to cut short its staff by 80%. This order came in days after numerous American nationals were held on the suspicions of spying.

In relation to this, a decision which removes the United States out of a list of 65 nations required to hold visitor visa requirements has come into force. Accordingly, passport holders from U.S. must comply with established lawful rules and regulations for obtaining visas. The Venezuelan President had said that Americans were required to shell out the same consular fees as was needed for Venezuelans who wanted to go to the U.S. This fee presently ranges from 160-190 dollars.